In our culture today, people often judges success by what a person achieves, not by their character or who they are. For sports heroes, movie stars, businessmen, or politicians, it is performance, not principle that counts. Sadly, that pragmatic outlook has even infiltrated the church. Pastors are too often evaluated by the outward symbols of success—the size of their congregations, their success in raising money, how well their books sell, or their influence in the public arena. But such external criteria (by which many false teachers could be judged successful) do not impress God. Unlike man who looks at the outward appearance,… the Lord looks at the heart (1 Sam. 16:7). It is not what a man does that makes him a noble and godly pastor, but who he is. The apostle Paul had all the external marks of success. He lived a life that was observably above reproach, as his conscience testified. Yet he knew that the true measure of the man of God is not his external success or reputation but God’s evaluation of his heart.